Even after all these years, Jodie Foster seems to be a reluctant movie star. Intensely private, she tends to pop up, makes a film, then retreat back to her day to day life.

For Jodie, it's a conscious choice so she never gets to a point where she resents acting... and you could see how she could. She's been at it since she was three, first doing commercials, then TV shows; eventually, at 14, she made the film that changed her life. In 'Taxi Driver,' Jodie amazed critics with her portrayal of 'Iris,' a 12 year old prostitute, and got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

And unlike a lot of other child stars, Jodie didn't get messed up. She went to Yale, and graduated with honours. From there, two more highly acclaimed films: First, 'The Accused', where Jodie played a rape victim, and won an Oscar for Best Actress. Then came 'The Silence of the Lambs', and another Academy Award.

With that, Jodie was a force in Hollywood. Over the years, she's become so respected, she can pretty much decide if she wants to act in, direct, or simply produce films. Along the way, she's had two children, a long-term lesbian relationship, and other hit films, like 'Panic Room' and 'Inside Man.'

She recently released 'The Beaver', a drama about a depressed man who relates to people by talking to them with a hand puppet. Oh, and it stars Mel Gibson.

And she hasn't forgotten her role in another film, 'Contact' - Jodie just donated an undisclosed amount to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) this week to help them continue searching space for evidence of life.